16 Week Survery

How far along? 16 weeks and 4 days
How big is baby?  According to The Bump, 4.6 in. and 3.5 oz; roughly the size of an avocado.
Total weight gain/loss: Up 2-4 lbs., depending on the day and which scale I'm using.
Sleep:  Lately, I can't get enough sleep!  I fall asleep watching a movie in the evening, and go back to bed after Josh leaves in the morning.
Best moment this week: Being able to feel our kiddo moving around more and more.
Movement: Still barely noticeable/faint, but I'm really starting to feel it more!
Symptoms: Constantly peeing, a growing belly, and constant hunger.
Symptoms I DON'T have: None that I can think of.
Food cravings: Still Papa Murphy's Pizza, fruit (mainly pineapple), juices, and WATER!
Food aversions: A lot of meats (mostly ground beef), a lot of sweets
Gender: Still don't know! Every dream I had up until about 2 weeks ago had been of a baby boy, and now I've had TWO girl dreams!  I honestly think my mother's intuition on this subject has gone out the window.
Labor Signs: Thankfully, none yet!
Belly Button in or out? Still in
What I miss: Sleeping on my back and stomach, and not having round ligament pains.
What I am looking forward to: Feeling more solid movements, finding out the gender, and starting on the nursery.
Milestones: Feeling more baby movements, and picking out nursery items!

15 Week Doctor Visit

Just got back from the doctor for our monthly checkup, and everything went great!  Pee in a cup, blood pressure, feeling uterus, hear heartbeat.  Hearing our kiddo's heartbeat is definitely the highlight!  Last time (at 11 weeks), she had to search around for awhile before she found it.  Today, she squirted some gel on there, placed the soundhead on my belly, and BAM!  There it was instantly, pounding away at 155bpm.

She said I'm right on track with my weight gain (2 lbs) and that even a little more would have been fine.  We scheduled my next appointment for Tuesday, May 10th, which is exactly 4 weeks from today.  And also on that day...

OUR BIG ULTRASOUND!!!

That's right!  At 8 AM that day, we (hopefully) get to find out if we have a Baby C. or Baby M.  Four weeks seems like a lifetime away, but then I think back at how quickly this past month has flown by, and I realize it will be here before we know it.  To say we're excited is a major understatement!

15 Week Survey

I have seen similar surveys on other blogs, so I thought I might as well try one out!

How far along?  15 weeks and 2 days
Total weight gain/loss:  I am currently 2 lbs. over my pre-pregnancy weight.
Sleep:  Hit and miss.  Sometimes I have a hard time getting comfortable, and other times I konk out.  Although having to get up to pee is starting to get old already.
Best moment this week:  Hasn't happened yet, but I'm sure it will be hearing our kiddo's heartbeat at the appointment tomorrow.
Movement: I've felt a few movements so far, but nothing too distinct.  I can't wait for it though!
Symptoms:  Constantly peeing, a growing belly, hormonal rages (although honestly, not too bad!), and cravings/aversions. And heartburn/bloating on occasion.
Symptoms I DON'T have:  None that I can think of.
Food cravings:  Papa Murphy's Pizza, fruit (mainly pineapple), juices
Food aversions: A lot of meats (mostly ground beef), a lot of sweets
Gender:  Still don't know!
Labor Signs:  Thankfully, none yet!
Belly Button in or out?  Still in
What I miss: Wearing some of my old t-shirts that just now won't fit over my belly! And not feeling out of breath constantly.
What I am looking forward to: Feeling more solid movements, finding out the gender, and starting on the nursery.
Milestones:  Feeling more baby movements, and scheduling our gender ultrasound!

(Photo to come later this week!)

14 Weeks

Here we are, at 14 weeks!  (Well, actually closer to 15 weeks now.)  Time has really flown by, and I can't believe its been since JANUARY when we found out we're expecting!

I really need to try to take photos earlier in the week, but with our schedules lately and the crappy weather we've had, it hasn't happened.  So here is a photo from yesterday.  I apologize (again) for the crappy quality; I uploaded it to Facebook directly from my phone, and then stole it from Facebook to put on here. 

So far, I've been feeling pretty good!  Those first 12 weeks were ROUGH, but now that the morning (all day) sickness is gone, I'm really enjoying my growing belly.  I am constantly hungry, but have only gained about 3 lbs. total.

We've slowly started to prepare more for the kiddo, and plan to do the trim/closet doors in the soon-to-be-nursery sometime this month.  Our "big" ultrasound will be in the beginning of May, and once we find out if we have a Baby C. or Baby M., we'll be painting that room.

I felt our first baby movement on Monday afternoon, and immediately called Josh to tell him about it.  He was so excited, and we made sure to mark the day on our calendar.  He's more than ready to feel kicks from the outside, and I'm so ready for him to be able to experience it!

I go back in to the doctor on Tuesday for our monthly check-up, and that's when I'll schedule our gender ultrasound.  We can't wait!

Surreal

Yesterday, I had another one of those moments when I realized, In just a few more months, I'm going to be a mom.  I am going to have a CHILD.  Of my OWN.  To take care of. 

I had ordered our carseat and stroller, even though its still early, because I had a coupon and there was a promotion going on that ended in a GREAT deal on the combo.  So we jumped.

They were delivered yesterday while we were at work, and since Josh was working overtime last night, I packed them up and took them to Mom's for dinner and so we could tinker with them.  I had to take the carseat and base out of the box, because there was no way those two huge boxes were fitting in my little Honda with Molly.  I carried the stroller box in first, and then walked in carrying the infant seat.  I saw my reflection in the mirror, and that's when it hit me.  It was such a weird image- seeing myself carrying this seat that will soon be used by my own baby.

We put the stroller together, and Mom and I took turns pushing it around the house.  I then loaded it up, and took it home so Josh could see it when he gets home.  He loved the stroller and carseat as soon as he saw them, and was equally glad we jumped on the opportunity.

Then again, this morning, I got up and stumbled to the kitchen to make Josh's lunch and coffee.  And there they were again.  Still sitting in the same place as last night, but I had forgotten they were there.  A constant reminder of what is to come.  Those same thoughts running through my head as when I saw myself carrying the carseat.

Starting to have baby gear, clothes, diapers in our house is really getting me more and more excited for this fall!

Stroller Decision!

So I posted last night about researching strollers and carseats, and then after I hit "post", I did some more researching. 

I have long loved the Britax B-Ready stroller and its variety of configurations.  It has great reviews on a multitude of websites, and really just seems to fit what we want out of a stroller.  The only problem was the price.

Britax currently has a promotion going on where you can get the Britax Chaperone infant carseat for free when you purchase the B-Ready stroller, which is a $239.99 value.  Amazon is also selling the B-Ready for a reduced price (Britax is making way for new spring colors), and I have a 10% off coupon also.  This makes the B-Ready entirely affordable for us, since previously mentioned family member is contributing to the cost (in place of purchasing the carseat separately).  Here is the cost breakdown:

Original Cost:
Britax B-Ready Stroller $499.99
+ Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat $239.99
= $739.98

Current Cost:
Britax B-Ready Stroller $399.99 (on sale through Amazon)
+ Britax Chaperone Infant Car Seat $183.99 (on sale through Amazon)
- 10% off Amazon Coupon
- $183.99 (Free Carseat promotion)
= $341.59

That's almost $400 in savings!!

We of course had to pay sales tax, but since I have an Amazon Prime account, we get free 2 day shipping, so it should be here Wednesday!  So glad we found this promotion and sale- we now can get what we really wanted!

Strollers and Car Seats

Josh finally agreed to go to Babies R Us with me today to browse and start narrowing down our choices on some big-ticket items.  The crib, changing table, and dresser are all decided, which is a huge relief.

Our main concerns right now are carseat and stroller.  I have heard time and time again to avoid the big, bulky, heavy travel systems, and I think that advice is pretty sound.  I started looking at lightweight, umbrella-type strollers, and also a Snap'n'Go to use with the infant carseat for the first few months.

Then, I found a few lightweight strollers at BRU today that you can use an infant carseat with!  Makes needing a Snap'n'Go pointless!  Here are our (current) options:

(I'm going to use the Chicco KeyFit 30 in all of these options, because it works with every option we have.  Also, the colors in the photos may not be the actual colors we choose.)

Option #1:  Chicco KeyFit 30 infant carseat + Snap'n'Go stroller + Chicco Liteway = $394.97

Pros:  The Snap'n'Go stroller is very light and folds down small, which is nice for my little Honda and for Josh's truck.  The Chicco Liteway has great reviews, and also folds down small and is light.
Cons:  Having to store the Snap'n'Go once the kiddo is old enough to sit in the Liteway.  That the Liteway can't be used with an infant carseat.  Cheap wheels.


Option #2:  Chicco KeyFit 30 infant carseat + Britax B-Nimble Stroller = $379.98

Pros:  The Britax B-Nimble is also very lightweight and folds small.  It has the option of using an infant carseat with it, with a variety of brands accepted.
Cons:  The Britax Chaperone infant carseat snaps into the stroller, but other brands use a weird strap system that I don't know if I'm comfortable with.  The Britax Chaperone is $20 more than the Chicco KeyFit 30 carseat.  Cheap wheels.

Option #3:  Chicco KeyFit 30 infant carseat + Baby Jogger City Mini Stroller = $489.93

Pros:  This stroller has big, solid, rubber wheels that can really hold up on uneven ground.  It accepts infant carseats with the purchase of an adapter.  Still folds up relatively small.
Cons:  Most expensive option.  Not as lightweight as other strollers.  Have to purchase adapter for carseat.


I should mention that a family member has graciously offered to purchase the infant carseat of our choice, so that cost really won't be factored into the total cost of our "travel system".

So mommas, what's your opinion?